The pianistic child prodigy and the mature piano inventor
Image: Lucerne Symphony Orchestra/Philipp Schmidli
The pianist Yoav Levanon on his debut with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under the direction of chief conductor Michael Sanderling in the concert hall of the KKL Luzern.
It's a gamble. A young artist and a little-known work meet a mix of modern and classic at the KKL. But the large audience is enthusiastic.
Roman Kuehne
02/16/2023, 12:45 p.m
Yoav Levanon is completely at the opposite end of his piano career. After evenings with two of the greatest of our time - Rudolf Buchbinder (76) and Martha Argerich (81) - it's now one of the "young wild ones" on Thursday. The Israeli pianist is just 18 years old.
At the age of three he sat down at the keyboard instrument. Various prizes and an exclusive contract with Warner Classics adorn his young career. There is talk that he has what it takes to become “one of the greatest pianists of our time” – which is what one reads and writes about when it comes to child prodigies.
The most difficult piece – agreed spontaneously
At "Le piano symphonique" in Lucerne, he does not play just any concert, true to the cliché. He will perform Ignacy Paderewski's Piano Concerto with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra. Rarely played and extremely difficult. He rehearsed this - quite the high-flyer - at short notice. After a zoom meeting with Numa Bischof, the artistic director of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, he wanted half an hour to think about it. It turned into a whole night "in which I listened to the concert non-stop and in the morning I accepted".
And the concert is first and foremost one thing: virtuosic. It pearls and jumps, hunts and dances. Minute by minute, entire chord clusters gallop through the octaves in Allegro. Yoav Levanon's fingerwork is a mesmerizing feast for the eyes. Undeterred, they jump and slide through the dense forest of notes. The notes trickle and trickle almost lucidly. Every chord, every phrase stands out clearly. A high speed train in time lapse. And here lies the catch of this interpretation.
Opening flower
On the one hand, the artist shows an astonishing maturity. The artful playfulnesses aren't just pounded on. He clearly places artistic expression above effect. Nevertheless: In contrast to Martha Argerich in Schumann, for example, there are no question marks with him. He draws the structure with determination and clarity. The uncertain, the floating recedes behind the transparency - and yes - a certain virtuosic frostiness. But the huge talent is there, the blossoms three quarters open.
This is also evident – after a gaudy etude by Rachmaninoff (Op. 39) – in the second, wonderfully warmly played encore «La Campanella» by Franz Liszt. The Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under Michael Sanderling – it is not easy to accompany such different pieces every evening – is also at the top level here. With a great sound, lush and undulating, it interlocks with the lively pianist. Golden French horn sounds or the excellently playing solo flutist ensure stimulating moments of listening.
Continue reading: https://www.luzernerzeitung.ch/kultur/zentralschweiz/klavierfestival-luzern-das-pianistische-wunderkind-und-der-reife-klaviertueftler-ld.2414494?mktcid=smsh&mktcval=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3MfLS40L-AiQpCT-NU8T6vRMUc4aKfk7Byf9nr54JRQkcPvTMlaAXvYV0